Let’s face it. While fantasy baseball is supposed to be a game of fun, there are certain aspects of it that just drive you insane. Whether it’s an underperforming player you drafted early, a roster move you made that didn’t go your way or a lopsided deal that gets approved by the idiots in your league, fantasy baseball can be one of the more frustrating hobbies to have. Yes, even more frustrating than getting that stupid ship into that stupid bottle. So today is about getting it all off our chests. They say it’s not healthy to keep all the bad stuff inside, so I’m granting you a release here. Doesn’t matter how big or how small the issue is, just let it out. Maybe you’ll feel better afterwards and maybe you won’t, but either way, I’m sure plenty of us will be able to laugh alongside you and sympathize with your plight.
So if you recall back to spring training, I wrote an article about FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and, while I’ve never been one to completely buy into some of the sabermetric arguments, this stat seemed legit and I was buying into it. Well I drafted Ricky Nolasco this season, expecting a continuation of his second half last year, and over the first two and a half months, I got nothing. Maybe there was a start or two that looked decent, but all of his numbers were off and all of the prognosticators that hyped him and the stat have been silent. That being said, I removed him from my lineup this week, citing him as the Bust of the Week in the Pitching Report. His overall numbers against both the Mets and the Braves were terrible, so I figured better safe than sorry. “Well suck on that,” said Nolasco who pitched 7 innings last night allowing 3 earned runs on just 4 hits while grabbing the win and notching 9 Ks. Dammit…and he was a 2 start pitcher this week.
Same thing happened with Paul Maholm, another FIP guy from last season. Maholm had actually pitching pretty well, despite playing for the Pirates, up until his last 2 outings where he got roughed up a bit. Time to err on the side of caution again, right? He’s got two starts this week against the Cubs and the Phillies, neither of which he’s had much success against in the past, so I benched him. Well, good ol’ Paul throws up 8 innings of 1 run ball, giving up just 7 hits and walking no one. To make it worse, Jim Russell let him go out fo rthe 8th in a tie game and lo and behold, the Pirates take a 2-1 lead int he bottom of the innings to give Maholm the win. Son of a…..!!!
Since I traded him, Hanley Ramirez is hitting .333 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, 11 runs scored and 6 stolen bases. None of the hitters I got back are playing as well in that time frame and the pitcher I so happily received….Johan Santana? 1-3 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Yuck!
Reading an email where someone defends receiving Cliff Lee and Mariano Rivera for Roy Halladay is just nauseating. The immediate run for Lee’s 2007 stats and stint in the minors carries no weight anymore. Lee has more than proven his worth over the last 2 seasons and this year as well. You got away with one because you’re league is full of morons that don’t vote and your commissioners are either too lazy or too chicken-sh*t to do anything about it. There, I said it.
I hate the way Bruce Bochy handles Buster Posey. A full article on managerial tendencies is coming soon (I know I promised Wes over the weekend, but it’s become a bigger project than I anticipated), but for now, let me just say that I hate the way Bochy deals with his prized rookie. He resented him being brought up last year and barely used him and now, once Posey goes into a little slump, he benches him rather than allowing him to play through it. How else is the kid supposed to learn? Bochy said it was a sore wrist, but I’ve yet to find the articles that say where Posey hurt himself enough to lose time in either the minors or the majors. If you find something, please forward. In the meantime, I’ll just say that Bochy is an idiot and is costing my fantasy team quality at bats. I won’t even get into the fact that he held him out of last night’s opener against the Dodgers.
What’s up with Dan Haren’s 4.56 ERA and 1.32 WHIP? I thought he was only supposed to suck in the second half.
And the last thing I’m going to bitch about is…what’s up, Nick Markakis? This was supposed to be your big breakout season. Sure, the .306 average is nice, but it’s an emptry average! 3 HR, 24 RBI and 2 SB? Even Howie Kendrick is making you look bad in the power department.
I’m sure I’ve got planty more to complain about, but I’m going to leave some it up to you. Something in your league pissing you off? Got a player who’s become more aggravating than your nagging wife or screaming kids? Well serve it up here in the comments section. The Fantasy Baseball Complaint Department is open for business…
Loading ...
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
What is the deal with Hanson? He’s becoming a matchup starter rather than a stud.
Is Lind and N Morgan ever going to wake up? They’re killing my teams.
Is Morrow worth owning for the long haul? Is Callaspo and or F Sanchez worthy of a roster spot in a 12 team 6×6 league? I can drop either or for Morrow.
Lastly, is it safe to pick up Qualls and stash or has his time dissipated?
Thank you,
KJ
Hanson is going through some typical struggles that a youngster goes through, but fortunately interleague is over. Hopefully he gets back on track when he faces the Marlins this week, but I wouldn’t go dismissing him just yet.
I never thought Lind or Morgan were going to duplicate lat year’s totals. Lind’s power dispay was way ahead of what his normal totals should be and Morgan’s SB% always makes him a risky play. While he swiped a ton of bases last year, he also got caught plenty. Same for this year, only his average is much worse. I don’t see either suddenly breaking out in 2010 to return to last year’s form.
Morrow could be worth something down the stretch, but you’ll certainly have to endure some additional struggles. I’d drop Callaspo before Sanchez, but get ready for another pick up once Freddy trips over the baseline and tears something.
I wouldn’t waste a spot on Qualls whenthere are probably equal, if not better options available on your waiver wire. Simon maybe?
Thanks for reading….and venting!